Australia vs Sri Lanka Tests 2016: Sri Lanka Win 3-0 (First Whitewash Over Australia) — Herath 28 Wickets + Hat-Trick (Voges/Nevill/Starc — First Left-Arm Spinner Hat-Trick in 124 Years), Mendis 176, Australia 106 All Out

Sri Lanka won the three-match Warne-Muralitharan Trophy Test series against Australia in July-August 2016 by 3-0 — their first ever Test series whitewash against Australia. Rangana Herath was Player of the Series with 28 wickets. 1st Test Pallekele (Jul 26-30): SL won by 106 runs — SL 117 & 353; Australia 203 & 161. Kusal Mendis scored 176 in Sri Lanka's 2nd innings — the youngest Sri Lankan to score a Test century against Australia. Nathan Lyon took his 200th Test wicket in this match and took 3/12 in SL's 1st innings. Player of the Match: Mendis. 2nd Test Galle (Aug 4-6): SL won by 229 runs — SL 281 & 237; Australia 106 & 183. Australia's 1st innings of 106 was their lowest-ever total in Sri Lanka. Herath took a hat-trick in Australia's 1st innings — dismissing Adam Voges, Peter Nevill, and Mitchell Starc in successive balls — the first hat-trick by a left-arm orthodox spinner in Test cricket in 124 years, since Johnny Briggs in 1892. It was also only the second Test hat-trick by a Sri Lankan (after Nuwan Zoysa in 1999). Mitchell Starc took 6/50 in the match. 21 wickets fell on day 2. Player of the Match: Dilruwan Perera. 3rd Test Colombo (Aug 13-17): SL won by 163 runs — SL 355 & 347/8d; Australia 379 & 160. Herath took 7/64 across both innings and won Player of the Match. Player of the Series: Rangana Herath — 28 wickets. Dhananjaya de Silva led the series with 325 runs (highest by any batsman); Steve Smith led Australia with 247 runs (youngest Australian to reach 4,000 Test runs during the series). Steve Smith captained Australia; Angelo Mathews captained Sri Lanka.

Herath's Hat-Trick at Galle: First Left-Arm Spinner in 124 Years

Rangana Herath's hat-trick in Australia's 1st innings at Galle was one of the rarest bowling moments in Test cricket history. He dismissed Adam Voges with an off-drive to cover, trapped Peter Nevill lbw with a slider, then hit Mitchell Starc on the pad — with Starc initially given not out before the Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews successfully reviewed the decision. The three successive wickets made Herath the first left-arm orthodox spinner to take a Test hat-trick since Johnny Briggs dismissed three South Africans in successive balls in Sydney in 1892 — a gap of 124 years. It was also only the second Test hat-trick by a Sri Lankan in history, following Nuwan Zoysa's against Zimbabwe in Harare in 1999. Australia's 1st innings collapsed to 106 all out — their lowest-ever total in Sri Lanka — on a day when 21 wickets fell in a single day's play at the 2nd Test.

Mendis 176 at Pallekele and Sri Lanka's 3-0 Whitewash

Kusal Mendis' 176 in Sri Lanka's 2nd innings at Pallekele — making him the youngest Sri Lankan to score a Test century against Australia — gave SL the platform for their 106-run 1st Test win. After being dismissed for 117 in their 1st innings, Sri Lanka's 353 in the 2nd innings built a target that Australia could not chase, eventually bowled out for 161. The 1st Test win set the tone for a dominant series performance: Sri Lanka did not lose a single Test across the three matches and inflicted on Australia their first Test series whitewash to Sri Lanka. Dhananjaya de Silva's 325 series runs — the most by any batsman on either side — confirmed Sri Lanka's batting depth extended beyond their star performers. Herath's 28-wicket series haul gave the PoS to a bowler who had defied his advancing years to produce the most dominant bowling performance of the series.

Herath's 28-Wicket Series: Australia Outspun Across All Three Tests

Rangana Herath's 28 wickets across 3 Tests — backed by Dilruwan Perera's contributions (including winning Player of Match in the 2nd Test at Galle) — gave Sri Lanka a spin duo that Australia could not handle. In the 3rd Test at Colombo, Herath's 7/64 match figures sealed the whitewash as Australia, despite posting 379 in their 1st innings, collapsed for 160 in their 2nd innings when set 324 to win. Mitchell Starc's 6/50 at Galle was the one bright note from Australia's bowling but it could not prevent the 229-run SL win on a surface where Herath's hat-trick had already broken Australia's spirit. The 3-0 series result — Sri Lanka's first ever whitewash of Australia — confirmed that sub-continental conditions, a dominant left-arm spinner, and a young SL batting lineup combining youth (Mendis) with experience (de Silva) was an unbeatable combination in 2016.